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xvi. She's A Disappointment
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★

THEA FEELS LIKE she's floating on a cloud as she strides after the Gryffindor Quidditch team between Seamus and Dean, bellowing the new rendition of the Slytherins' song that she likes very much.

"Weasley can save anything, he never leaves a single ring, that's why Gryffindors all sing, Weasley is our king!"

As they finally reach the common room and the red and gold clad crowd finally let Ron down, Thea lurches forwards and pulls him into a hug.

"You did it, Ron!" she exclaims, beaming widely. "Well done!"

"Thanks, T!" he grins back, his eyes glowing.

The next day is warm and bright. Thea stares longingly out of the window of the Gryffindor tower, surrounded by colourful knowledge organisers, piles of cue cards and thousands of notes, all carefully sectioned off by subject. Over the past month, she has finally submerged herself in the pains of revision, hoping to get the grades that allow her to fulfil the words starting to become clear on the back of her hand.

I must not disappoint.

Sunday in the Gryffindor common room sees frantic fifth and seventh years in chaos, some crying, some buried in books and notes, and other waving wands and stamping their feet in frustration.

"Thea, aren't you going to do any work?"

Thea looks up to see Hermione eyeing her disdainfully, rather annoyed to have been interrupted during her second reading of Othello.

"I've done it all already. You're more than welcome to use my notes if you're struggling," she drawls irritably, earning herself the deadliest glare she's ever seen.

"I'm quite alright, thank you very much," Hermione says coldly.

Thea notices Harry and Ron watching the exchange cautiously, before quickly returning to what they were doing.

She rolls her eyes, taking out the wad of Charms flash cards and beginning to read through them as a reminder and to keep Hermione's nagging to a minimum.

Over the next few days, Thea finds herself avoiding Hermione even more than usual. The girl is particularly stressed during exam season, which surprises no one, but Thea is sure it would only result in a dreadful row should she go near her. For some reason, she really doesn't want to fall out completely with Hermione.

"Did you see what they did to McGonagall? Sneaking up on Hagrid at night was unbelievably sly as well, did you see?" Dean says incredulously the morning after their Astronomy practical.

Thea looks up from drawing a timeline about the Giant Wars, rolling her eyes.

"Yes Dean, I was there," she huffs.

"Why are you so moody?" he almost snaps.

"Because..." Thea sighs. "What if I fail?"

"You won't fail, tiger." Dean looks at her encouragingly. "You've been working really hard."

She smiles back at him and nods. "You too."

★

That evening, she makes her way to Umbridge's office for her last detention, the back of her hand throbbing already. The words are etched so deep into her skin it is a wonder she can't see bone, and the thought sends a shiver trickling down her spine.

She hopes Harry will be there waiting after like he had been for all the previous nights, but when she leaves the office at around eight, he doesn't appear. She feels her stomach sink and tries to think what she could've done to upset him, but when nothing plausible presents itself, she decides he must be getting an early night because of exams...

★

Thea feels confident she's doing well as she gets halfway through the last essay for her History of Magic exam. The minutes trickle quickly into half hours, then full hours, and she's sure there's not long left when a loud clatter and a familiar yelp of pain erupts from the middle of the hall.

Harry.

She turns around from her seat at the front, dread filling her body when she sees him crumpled on the floor, and then an examiner dismiss him before he rushes from the Hall. Thea meets Hermione's worried eyes for a second and swallows hard. They both want to leap from their seats and rush after him, but they can't. There's still ten minutes left...

It seems it wouldn't matter if there were ten minutes or ten hours left of the exam; Thea can't possibly concentrate anymore, her quill scratching feebly against her parchment and her heart flickering relentlessly. Her mind stops thinking about the Statute of Secrecy, and starts panicking instead.

Soon, finally, the exam ends.

She stands up quickly and darts out of the Hall, ignoring the examiner's screeches of "No running!"

She meets Ron and Hermione at the doors.

Eventually, the familiar head of messy black hair comes into her view at the top of a staircase, and she rushes ahead of Hermione and Ron to get to him.

"Harry! Are you alright?"

His expression is grave and dark as he stares at Thea and his friends.

"What happened? Are you alright? Are you ill?" Hermione demands, her eyes wide in fear.

"Where have you been?" Ron asks over Hermione's voice, concern evident on his face.

"Come with me, I need to tell you all something," he mutters, leading them along a corridor and into the first empty classroom they come across.

"Voldemort's got Sirius..." he begins, before looking directly at Thea. "And your mother... I knew it was her because you look just like her."

"What?" Thea exclaims, her heart clenching so harshly that she feels her body begin to shake. "How do you know that?"

"Saw it. When I fell asleep in the exam," he tells them.

"What do you mean, you saw it?" Thea asks. "...And wait, he has Sirius Black too? Isn't he like, one of his main followers? I'm confused –"

"No, he isn't a Death Eater, but we haven't time to explain yet – don't tell anyone – anyway, we need to get to the Ministry."

"Harry, how could Voldemort, Sirius and Lyra Cindercroft have gotten into the Ministry at this time without being caught? They're two of the most wanted wizards, and Lyra's being totally humiliated in the Prophet!"

"You know what they say about karma," Thea says with a shrug.

"Thea, this isn't the time to be joking around! Sirius, he's the only family I have left!"

"Harry, please don't shout, there's no use getting yourself worked up –"

Harry looks at her, his face burning red, "Getting myself worked up? Thea, don't you care that your mother is being tortured and we're stood here chatting?"

Thea glares at him, and says, "Excuse me, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about here, and you're screeching at me like it's my fault –"

"You're wasting time now Thea, just – Hermione, if you think I'm going to act like I haven't seen this –"

"Sirius told you that you needed to close your mind, Harry!" Hermione interrupts him in a panicked tone. "What if Voldemort meant for you to see this –"

Thea sighs loudly, and Hermione, Ron and Harry look at her. She's burning with frustration, and shakes her head slowly, incredulity filling her face.

"So now you're telling me that Voldemort has a remote control for Harry's brain or something, and can just switch channels as he pleases?"

They're interrupted by the door opening, Ginny and Luna stepping into view.

"What are you shouting about?" Ginny asks.

"Never you mind," Harry snaps at her.

"There's no need to take that tone with me. I'm trying to help," Ginny replies.

"Well you can't," Harry retorts.

"You're being rather rude, you know," Luna says.

"She's right – Harry, stop treating us like shit when we all have no idea what's going on, but we're still trying to help you –"

"Thea, if you don't believe me –"

"Don't believe you? – OK, you're taking the piss now. All I've ever done is believe you –"

"Thea, it's alright, we'll explain later," Hermione says, as she glances at Harry, looking at him cautiously, "We need to check whether Sirius is at home."

After a moment, Thea feels Harry's fingers intertwine with hers by their sides and she squeezes his hand comfortingly, as though to say we'll be fine. Sirius will be fine.

"How?" Harry asks.

"We can use Umbridge's fire – Luna and Ginny, you two can be lookouts –"

"We'll do it," Ginny says immediately.

"OK. We need to do this quickly, Hermione, or I'm going to the Department of Mysteries now," he says, his voice having a slight edge, but a lot calmer than before.

"Me and Thea can go and send Umbridge off in the wrong direction," Ron pipes up.

"But she hates me!" Thea exclaims.

Ron shrugs. "Maybe you can fall at her feet and beg for her forgiveness, and if that doesn't work, I can tell her that Peeves is trashing the Transfiguration department, it's right on the other side of school to her office – mind, we could probably convince him to actually do it if we meet him on the way."

Thea considers for a moment before nodding. "I am a good actress..."

"We need to keep the students away," Hermione says.

"Me and Luna can sort that out," Ginny says.

"Harry, we can sneak into Umbridge's office and talk to Sirius –"

"Hermione, he isn't there –"

"You can see if he's there, and I'll keep watch." Hermione quickly corrects herself.

"OK...thanks," he says quietly.

"Right, let's go!"

Ron and Thea dart out of the classroom and make their way to find Umbridge. Thea runs beside him, fuelled by adrenaline, her heart pounding and her mind reeling.

"Is Harry a psychic or something, then? What about S –"

"First of all, no, You-Know-Who doesn't have a remote control for Harry's brain." Then, Ron looks at her as though she's stupid. "Second of all, don't say Snuffles' name. We'll tell you later."

"Snuffles?"

Eventually, they stumble upon the person they were looking for. Thea still isn't used to the horrible pink suit she always wears, and it blinds her a little. When Ron pushes her forwards slightly for her cue to speak, she's surprised he can't feel the ferocious beating of her heart, even through her back and the cloth of her jumper.

"P – Professor..." she says, her throat closing up when she thinks about I must not disappoint... she can't disappoint Harry, this has to work...

"You – what do you want?" Umbridge hisses.

"I need you to forgive me Professor – please! Me and my mother are alone, we need – we need the Ministry's guidance..." She feels the tears streaming down her cheeks, and she's not sure they are fake. What is definitely true, is that she can't stand her mother's ignorance, or the frustration burning her heart.

Umbridge seems to stop listening.

"Out of my way!" she shouts, marching past Ron and Thea.

"Thea, are you alright? That didn't seem fake to me..." Ron says quietly, placing an arm comfortingly on her shoulder.

"Yes, I'm fine...like I said, I'm just a good actress." She tries to smile, before they remember where they are and why.

She can't disappoint Harry.

Their feeble smiles morph into worried looks, and they're about to start following Umbridge, when they're both seized from behind.

"What are you doing, Thea?" Jude's voice whispers, the hurt clearly piercing through.

She doesn't answer, only walks silently as she and Ron are marched forwards after Umbridge.

Ron is shoved into her office, while Jude holds the door open for Thea and walks in after her, before pulling her into him again so she can't escape.

Thea winces when she sees the rest of the group all held tightly against their will, straining to get out of their bruising grips.

Thea's almost comforted by the fact that it's Jude's arms wrapped around her rather than Malfoy's or Pansy Parkinson's. She's surprised when she sees Neville is here, shooting him a look that he returns with a grimace.

She glances at Harry, who's so pale he looks ill, and her heart jolts.

"Well, it looks as though Hogwarts will shortly be a Weasley-free zone, won't it?" Umbridge says with an air of satisfaction.

There's something in Thea's mind that says fat chance.

"So, Potter – you sent this disappointment to beg for my forgiveness to distract me –" she jabs a finger at Thea, who glares at her nastily. " – and stationed lookouts around my office so you could talk to someone. Clearly it was very important that you would speak with this person. Who was it?"

Thea feels rage start to rise in her body.

"That's none of your business," Harry snaps.

"Hm... I offered you the chance to tell me of your own accord and you refused. I have no other option but to force you... Draco – fetch Professor Snape."

Thea can feel the sturdiness of Jude's chest against her back; it's strangely calming. She looks at Ron and the others to see them all still stirring in discomfort in the grip of their captors and considers herself lucky.

Soon, Malfoy returns with Snape.

"You wanted to see me, Headmistress?" Snape says, surveying the room and appearing completely nonchalant.

"I'd like another bottle of Veritaserum, as quick as you can," she smiles, looking at Harry as though he's her prey.

Thea feels her veins pulse with more anger, her stomach turning violently.

"You took my last bottle to interrogate Potter," Snape says, nonchalant still.

"You can make some more, can't you?" she asks her smile dropping ever so slightly, but her voice still sweet.

"Certainly. It takes a full moon-cycle to mature, so I should have it ready for you in a month," Snape says.

"A month? But Snape, I need it now! Potter has been communicating with unknown persons using my fire!"

"Well, it doesn't surprise me. Potter has never shown much inclination to follow the school rules."

Thea tunes out of Umbridge and Snape's back and forth about Harry and glances out of the window, realising it has started to turn dark.

Her heart plummets at how time is running short; her mother and Sirius could well be dead, and here they are, at the mercy of a gang of Slytherins and listening to Umbridge and Snape arguing about a potion. They need to do something.

Then, she feels Jude jab her lightly in the side as though to bring her back into the room.

"You are forcing me Potter... I do not want to...the Cruciatus Curse ought to loosen your tongue..."

"Leave him alone!" Thea shrieks as Hermione cries, "NO! Professor Umbridge, that's illegal!"

"Another word out of you, Cindercroft, and I promise you, you and your mother will get the Ministry's guidance to Azkaban..." She pauses before looking back to Hermione. "What the Minister doesn't know won't hurt him... he didn't know it was me who sent the Dementors after him!"

"That was you?" Harry bellows, losing his cool completely.

They still need to do something...they're wasting time...

As Umbridge points her wand at Harry, Hermione lets out a panicked yelp, as though she heard Thea's thoughts.

"Tell her Harry!"

"Tell me what?" Umbridge demands, her attention now back on Harry.

"Well, if you won't tell her, I will!" Hermione cries, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Tell me what?" Umbridge says again, staring at Hermione with excitement in her eyes.

"Where it's hidden... Dumbledore's secret weapon..."

Umbridge is now completely focused on Hermione.

Thea feels strangely calm; she knows Hermione knows what she's doing. She relaxes ever so slightly into Jude's arms.

"Secret weapon? You have been developing some sort of resistance?"

Hermione lets her crocodile tears fall past her eyelashes and nods furiously. "I can show you – me and Harry can show you –"

"Can't you tell me?"

Hermione shakes her head frantically.

"Very well...don't let them escape," Umbridge instructs the Inquisitorial Squad, gesturing to Dumbledore's Army.

Umbridge leaves the office after Hermione and Harry, leaving the rest of them in a thick silence.

We need to do something, Thea thinks, shooting Ron a look.

Much to her dismay, her mind remains empty of a decent idea.

"Well, this is embarrassing for you all, isn't it?" Parkinson snickers. "Slytherin coming out on top, again."

Thea rolls her eyes.

She glances around the room, and sees Ginny shrug slightly, before stomping on Pansy's foot, and ducking out of her grip when she loosens it in shock. "I wouldn't be so sure of that. Stupefy!"

The girl falls limp when the red light from Ginny's wand hits her. In the few moments that the other Slytherins are frozen to their spots, Thea snatches her wand from Jude, who admittedly doesn't give much of a fight against her. She petrifies Millicent Bullstrode, before she lurches forward and grabs Hermione's wand from her robes, which is sticking out of her front pocket.

It seems that the distracted pause offered by Ginny's sudden escape allowed the others to snatch their wands from their captors, and Thea feels her body swell with adrenaline.

Hexes and curses and flashes of light are bouncing off the walls and into bodies. Thea narrowly escapes a Stun, but it clips her cheek which sears with pain. She beams in pride however as she watches Neville perform a mean Impediment Jinx, flashing back to the Dumbledore's Army days; this sends a pang of longing through her body, but before she can dwell, the group are standing over the unconscious bodies of the Slytherins, their chests heaving.

"Ginny, that was amazing!" Thea says, high-fiving her, and sniggering when she notices Malfoy had been hit by a Bat-Bogey hex.

Ginny grins back. "What can I say? Living with six brothers has taught me how to escape from headlocks, how to push heavy people from sitting on me when they want to sit in the spot of the sofa that I got to first –"

"I'm not that heavy!" Ron retorts.

"Come on, they're going to wake up in a minute!" Neville exclaims, grabbing onto Ginny's hand and pulling her out of the office.

For a moment, Thea's eyes linger on Jude, who's stiff on the floor after having received a nasty Body-Bind curse. She frowns before Ron grabs her arm and pulls her from the room.

Eventually, the group bursts out of the castle and into the evening outside, that casts a soft orange glow over the castle grounds. Thea can make out two figures running towards them, and her heart soars.

"Harry? Hermione?" Ginny calls out.

Thea feels a wave of satisfaction at the absence of Umbridge, speeding up her pace until they are all face to face.

"Thanks for your help everyone... but I need to get going." Harry turns around and begins marching away.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ron demands.

Harry turns to face him.

"To rescue Sirius and Lyra," he says to Ron, as though it were a stupid question.

"Harry...we're with you mate." Ron looks at his friend in disbelief.

"You don't have to do everything on your own Harry," Hermione says, uncharacteristically soft.

"Like Ron said; we're with you..." Thea says, looking at Harry. "Also, it's my mother that he's got, so you literally can't stop me."

Thea catches his eye for a second, but he looks away before she can smile. The bruise blossoming over her eye is throbbing, and the cut in her cheek from where the curse just caught her skin sears with pain, but another rush of adrenaline strikes Thea.

"And Harry..." He looks at her. "...I'm your friend. We're all your friends, and we want to help you. So let us."

Noises of assent sound from the rest of Dumbledore's Army, and Harry nods after a moment's hesitation.

Thea smiles at him.